Ian Gatheca

Ian Gatheca was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya to Festus Kibugu and Betty Njiiri in 1986. He has one brother, Alex Gatheca, born in 1990.Ian attended kindergarten and elementary/primary school in Nairobi, and in 1996, attended Mount Kenya Academy in Nyeri, Kenya where he was first exposed to the performing arts. Ian was always vibrant and was chosen as lead dancer and singer, performing traditional ethnic dances in front of students and parents alike during school functions. Ian nurtured this love for performance all through his years coupled with his excellence in sports, especially swimming. He won the Swimming Boy of the year award from 5th grade all through 8th grade and was later on accepted into The Alliance High School in Kikuyu, Kenya where he proceeded to thrive. During his high school years, Ian focused on thriving in academics and sports but he couldn't resist the urge to return to the arts for it was in his sophomore year that he joined the dramatic society and the school choir. He performed in various plays including a Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare and was later voted the student leader of the choir as Choir Chairman, a position he held during his senior year after which he graduated and moved to the U.S.A. for further studies. Ian enrolled at the Florida Institute of Technology where he pursued a BSc in Aviation Management with Flight Option, and attained his Private Pilots License. After a hiatus, Ian returned to acting by booking a role in a student film as Alan, a jealous boyfriend, and was thereafter sought out by Guthrie Roy Hartford to co-star in his production, The Graveyard Gang, after hearing about Ian's performances at the Straeon Studios in Boston under the tutorship of Jock McDonald. Ian has also taken part in acting workshops and intensives, and continues to pursue his love for acting at the New England Actors Workshop, and Michael Chekhov Actors Studio Boston.